Fisher: Will he or won't he use the zone?

San Diego State’s basketball team has become the fire-breathing pitcher who suddenly mixed in a nasty curveball out of nowhere. Now batters are looking for it.

And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

The Aztecs surprised New Mexico with a trapping 1-3-1 zone defense midway through the second half that transformed a 16-point deficit into a 51-48 victory and a Mountain West championship banner. But if opposing teams didn’t notice their experimentation with the 1-3-1 on tape before, they do now.

“I think teams will probably say, hey, we better spend a little time on what we want to do against the zone if we play San Diego State,” Coach Steve Fisher said Tuesday. “That’s probably good for us, too. It takes some practice time to use on that.”

Practice time, of course, being a valuable commodity this time of year.

The top-seeded and eighth-ranked Aztecs open the Mountain West tournament in Las Vegas on Thursday at noon against the winner of Wednesday’s 8-9 game between Utah State and Colorado State. That game will end about 4 p.m., giving them 20 hours to prep for Thursday’s quarterfinals. The semis are Friday, the final Saturday.

So the game within the game begins. Will Fisher play the zone card? Or is he bluffing?

“How much we’ll use it in the tournament, I really don’t know,” Fisher said. “I don’t. We may do it a lot. We may not do it at all. We’ll see what happens … But the fact that we played it 19 possessions to end the game and it was a huge piece in winning, your kids and coaches and fans – everyone – are saying: ‘When are you going to use it?’

“And if you don’t use it, some will say: ‘Why didn’t you?’”

Selection Sunday at Viejas

SDSU will host a public viewing party for the unveiling of the NCAA Tournament brackets Sunday afternoon at Viejas Arena, just as it did in 2011 when the Aztecs received a No. 2 seed. Doors open at 2 p.m.; the selection show begins at 3. The event is free, and parking is available at PS 5 for $1 per hour. Fans can enter through the main gate upstairs.

Lobos fan apologizes

A New Mexico fan formally apologized after being banned from attending on-campus sporting events through 2014-15 for throwing a cup at SDSU players as they left floor at their Feb. 22 game in The Pit.

“I am a lifelong UNM supporter and proud alumni,” said a statement submitted to the Albuquerque Journal. “After the SDSU game, I made a mistake and threw a paper cup of melted ice. I am truly sorry to everyone involved. I am responsible for my actions. I fully accept my punishment and will still cheer loudly from home.”

The newspaper, through a public records search with the university, identified the fan as Justin Weeks.

All-District for X

Xavier Thames was named to the all-District IX team by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. The 10-man team includes players from schools in California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Arizona and Alaska.

Thames and UC Santa Barbara forward Alan Williams were the only players not from the Pac-12. Arizona’s Nick Johnson was named District IX player of the year, and Arizona’s Sean Miller was coach of the year.